BlackBerry Z30 launching in Asia in the coming week, US launch 2 - 3 weeks later

BlackBerry plans to launch its flagship BlackBerry Z30 in Asia next week, people familiar with the matter told Pocket-lint.

The launch date for the BlackBerry Z30, a 5-inch BB10 smartphone that was long-associated with the A10 codename, makes sense, given BlackBerry is holding an event in France, Malaysia and India on 18 September. Our sources were able to confirm the BlackBerry Z30 will be debuted at the Malaysia event specifically - although France and India are more than likely to see the handset, as well.

A BlackBerry spokesperson declined to provide official confirmation.

A lot has been leaked about the BlackBerry Z30, the latest flagship out of BlackBerry that is set to replace the BlackBerry Z10. Leaks over the summer have indicated the handset will carry a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 768, 1.7GHz dual-core processor with 2GB RAM, BBOS 10.2.0.1442, and a 2,880mAh battery. Other rumoured specifications include 16GB internal storage with microSD card support, Qi wireless charging, and a 8-megapixel camera.

According to a source who has had their hands on the BlackBerry Z30, the leaks are accurate for the final build of the handset. Additionally, we have information that BlackBerry will ship a leather backed case that has a “smart cover”-like features built-in. When you flip open the front cover, the screen illuminates like Apple's iPad.